UFN 30's Guillard on Melendez, Sanchez: 'I would've dropped either one of them'

MANCHESTER – Despite recording just two victories in his past six trips to the octagon, UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard is as confident as ever going into Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 30 co-main event against Ross Pearson.

Need proof? Look no further than what “The Young Assassin” had to say when asked about this past weekend’s memorable UFC 166 scrap between Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez.

“I would have dropped either one of them,” Guillard told MMAjunkie.com. “I used to drop Diego Sanchez in practice all the time. When I hit people, I hurt people. That’s just what I do.”

Guillard (31-12-2 MMA, 12-8 UFC) will be looking to hurt Pearson (15-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in the worst of ways when they square off at the Phones 4U Arena in Manchester, England. The event airs on FOX Sports 2 following prelims on MMAjunkie.com.

The 30-year-old is famous for his punching power and the highlight-reel finishes he has produced in the octagon over the years. And even though Pearson has also found a lot of success with his striking in the past, Guillard believes his standup skills are simply on another level.

“Ross better worry about my hands,” Guillard said. “I am the hardest hitting ’55er at 155. I’ve watched him bang with guys, I’ve watched him connect on good shots and not even drop people. Everybody I hit, I drop. Everybody I hit, I f–k them up.

“Him being a harder hitter than me, I don’t think that’s going to be possible.”

With Pearson being from England, Guillard will be entering hostile territory for his 21st UFC fight. Most athletes would be hesitant taking a fight against a hometown hero, but Guillard has no problem with it – he just knows he must finish the fight to avoid any controversial judging.

“I don’t like fights going to decisions, especially in other people’s hometowns, so I’m looking to finish this fight,” Guillard said. “This is going to be a fight where I’m not only fighting him, but against the clock because I don’t want any bad decisions, I don’t want any close decisions. I want to finish the fight and know that I won the fight.

“I’ve got to go in there and do my job. I’m not coming all the way to England to get my ass whipped. I don’t want to have to fly all the way back home depressed.”

Flying back across the pond with a loss on his record would be a heartbreaking scenario for Guillard, especially after all the work he put in during training camp.

Guillard has been inconsistent when it comes to having a true home base to train in recent years, and he has had mixed success during that time.

For this camp, though, he settled in at American Top Team in Florida, and after making several changes to his life both in and out of the cage, Guillard believes he’s in a good place for the first time in a long time.

“All my coaches, they had their credentials, but sometimes it’s also a business, and to me my family comes before anybody else,” Guillard explained. “I have to be there for my family and unfortunately, certain things didn’t work out with certain guys, and you have to move on.

“I know everything worked out perfect with where I’m at at American Top Team. I got new management, I got a new team, I got a new mouth guard, I got new everything. I got rid of all the old stuff, and out with the old, in with the new.”

Guillard may have switched up the location of his training, but when the octagon door shuts he’ll bring the same weapons that have made him a mainstay in the organization since 2005.

Looking at the matchup with Pearson on paper, it would seem fans are in for a stellar striking battle between two fighters with strong standup skills.

And while Guillard agrees the fight is likely going to play out on the feet, he is confident Pearson’s chin won’t be able to hold up long enough to make it a back-and-forth war resembling Melendez vs. Sanchez.

“I’m a heavy-handed person, so most slugfests don’t really work out well for the opponents that I fight,” Guillard said. “When I hit people, I drop people. I know how to hit people. … It’s going to be a little bit of a slugfest, but if I had to flip a coin I would say he’s going to fall before I fall.”

Even though he is coming off a jaw-rattling knockout of Mac Danzig earlier this year, Guillard doesn’t believe his job with the promotion is entirely secure at this point.

He knows he must put together a string of victories to maintain his position on the frequently evolving UFC roster and when it comes right down to it, Guillard admits he won’t ever feel comfortable with his spot unless he is the owner of a shiny championship belt.

“With the UFC, you can win one and lose one and still be cut,” Guillard said. “So right now I’m still fighting for my job. I’m fighting for my job until I feel I have a belt around my waist to secure my job. That’s the only time you have job security is with the belt around your waist.”

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